Taking Shots (Assassins) Read online

  “I did, she’s gorgeous.”

  “She takes after her uncle, right baby girl?” He scooped the baby up, kissing her loudly on the cheeks.

  “You’re niece?” Elli asked as she turned off her camera. Then she looked at the two of them together and she could see the family resemblance: same blue eyes, dark as night hair. The baby pushed on his glasses, causing him to laugh as he put them back on his face. All the Sports Center guys made fun of his glasses. They were big and black, geeky looking, but Elli loved them. She thought he was geektastic in them. “So Grace is your sister?” she said when she found her voice again. Being as close as she was to him was making it hard for her to breathe.

  “My twin sister.”

  “Wow, I didn’t know, she didn’t mention it.”

  “I doubt she talks about me a lot,” he said with a laugh as the baby tried to get down. “Alright, alright, calm down Amelia, go on, baby,” he patted her on the butt as she waddled away. “She’s a busy one. Do you have any kids?”

  “Oh no, just a lot of nieces and nephews.” He smiled as he looked over at her, his blue eyes set just on her. They stood there staring at each other before his eyes raked over her body, making her nervous.

  “It’s a beautiful party,” Elli said breathlessly.

  “Yeah, like always, Grace outdid herself.”

  “She did, this is really nice of you, though, having this for the team.”

  “Yeah, I’ve done it the past three years, since I became captain, Wavier did it before me.” Elli nodded, he smiled, and she blushed. God, she was an idiot.

  “Wavier was a good captain.”

  “He was. I miss his crazy ass,” Shea said with a big smile “So you follow hockey?”

  “Oh, yes, I love it. I have glass seats right beside the penalty box. I go to every home game.”

  “Do you now?”

  “Yup, I’m a big fan.”

  “That’s awesome. Is that how you got into sports photography?”

  “Yeah, I always bring my camera with me to all the games and take pictures, but when I got the opportunity to shoot for y’all, I jumped on it.”

  “You did a great job. I saw my pictures this morning actually.”

  “Oh, thank you.”

  He already saw them? She just sent them in yesterday!

  “Have you lived in Tennessee your whole life?”

  “Um, yeah, why?”

  “Your accent is really thick.”

  She blushed a little as she smiled, “I’m a Southern belle. What can I say?” he laughed and of course Elli continued to blush. “And you are a Yankee through and through?”

  “Oh, yes, guilty as charged. My mother always teases me, saying one day I’ll be saying y’all instead of you guys.” Elli let out a giggle and Shea just grinned at her, so she bit her lip, looking away.

  “So, um-“

  “What kind of camera do you use?” he asked looking down at the camera that was hanging around her neck.

  “A Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III”

  “Cool, I just bought a Cannon Rebel. Maybe you could show me how to use it? I bought it to take pictures of things when I’m on the road and of Amelia and Ryan, my sister’s son.”

  “Oh, okay, sure.”

  “Awesome. So how about tomorrow afternoon? We could meet for coffee and go to the park; the park is beautiful right now.”

  What? Wait? Huh?!?

  “Oh, tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, are you busy?”

  “No, not at all, Sunday’s are my off day.”

  “Okay, so spend it with me”

  Elli just looked up at him. He was so blunt, so direct. Holy shit! Was Shea Adler asking her out on a date?

  “I don’t know,” she said, looking around for something to pull her from this conversation. She was getting butterflies and it was making her nauseous.

  “Come on, it’s coffee and taking pictures. You like coffee, right?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Okay, and you love to take pictures, right?”

  “Yes,” she said with a smile.

  “So do them with me.”

  Elli couldn’t speak, so she just nodded, which made Shea grin bigger. “Awesome. I’ll meet you at the park at one. What kind of coffee do you like?”

  “Starbucks’ caramel mocha.”

  He smiled big and she couldn’t help herself. She smiled right back at him.

  “That’s my drink, too, so I’ll see you tomorrow in front of the Parthenon?”

  “Sure,” she answered

  “Alright, Ms. Fisher, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He leaned over, kissing her cheek softly, causing all the air to rush out of Elli. He smiled at her before walking away, leaving her standing there looking like an idiot.

  What the hell just happened!?

  When Elli got home that night, after letting Adler out the back, she called Harper.

  “Hey, how’d it go?”

  “Good, the party was beautiful. How was the wedding?”

  “Great, did you see Shea?”

  “Yeah, did you check on the studio?”

  “I did, its good, did you talk to him?” Harper asked. Elli was about to bust, so she took a deep breath then basically screamed out the news.

  “He asked me out for coffee and to teach him to use his camera and I said yes!”

  “What?”

  “I know! I can’t believe it either!”

  “No! It ain’t that I don’t believe it; it’s that you said yes! I’m so proud!”

  “I know, I don’t think it’s a date, but it’s going to be just me and him!”

  “That’s a date, babe! Coffee, too? Oh yeah, total date!”

  “He kissed my cheek!”

  “OH MY GOD!”

  “I know!”

  “This is huge!”

  “I don’t know. I’m not really his type.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He dates skinny blondes.”

  “Maybe he’s moved on to curvy brunettes! Now you listen to me Eleanor Fisher, do not go freaking yourself out or talking yourself down. You are beautiful! He asked you out! You can do this!”

  “I can do this,” Elli repeated, but didn’t believe the words at all.

  “You can. Now, what are you going to wear?”

  “I don’t know. What if it’s not a date and I dress up and he comes in shorts and tee?”

  “He probably will, but still I’m thinking the khaki shorts you have, the ones that tie, and that really bright Kelly green shirt you have, you know the one that shows off the girls.”

  “I wear that to the club!”

  “Oh, yeah, true, okay what about-“

  For the rest of the night, Elli stayed on the phone with Harper, picking out something to wear for the date she still didn’t believe she had, trying to get her nerves under wraps.

  It didn’t work.

  Chapter 3

  Shea sat on a blanket in front of the Parthenon waiting for Elli. Again, it was a beautiful day, and he was thankful for it, since this date would not work if it was raining or cloudy. A drink carrier sat beside him, holding their drinks, while his camera sat beside it. He had bought the camera a couple months ago and was glad he didn’t give it away like he was going to, since he didn’t know how to use it. But that was all about to change. Elli was gonna teach him, if she ever arrived. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking the time again. She wasn’t late, but, like always, he was early. His excitement was causing him to have butterflies; he couldn’t wait to get to know her, to find out what made Elli tick.

  Last night, after the party, Grace couldn’t stop talking about Elli and it made Shea happy to know that Grace liked her so much, because if his sister didn’t like the girl then there was no sense in even trying to carry on a relationship with them. Not as if he’d ever wanted to.

  But that was changing.

  “Hey, Shea.”

  He didn’t even hear her come up, but wh